Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1887-08-19
How Mr.. Perkins Was Convinced.

and famed himself vigorously
with his broad-brimmed palm-leaf
hat, and the words came out as if
he ment them. "What have those
hens done now?" asked Mrs.
Perkins and the way she empha-
sized the "now," showed plainly
that "those hens" were in the
habit OF getting into mischief.
dome! They've been in the garden
again and scratched up more'n
half the tomato plants that [ set
out the other day. IL l could
have my way about it, / wouldn't
have hen on the farm; they're
more bother'n they're worth any
how-always somewhere they're
no business to be, and forever
scratchin."
"Well, ] don't know as there is
anything or anybody to prevent
you from having your own way,
and sellin' every hen and chicken
on the place you want to; only I
don't see how man that's as
fond as you are of fried eggs,
puddin's, and custard pies, and
foatin' island, and fried chicken,
and so forth, can get along without
hens to lay eggs, and raise the
chickens" I'D like to know if |
can't buy what eggs, and chickens
we need to eat?" Eyes, l s'pose
so; but 1 recon you'll find they'll
cost something in the course of
the year-taat is if we eat eggs,
and chickens at the rate we've
been doin'." "Of course they'll
cost something; l don't expect
anybody viii give us what eggs
and chickens we want. But" con-
tinued Mr.. Perkins, in a tone of
conviction, at will be cheaper to
buy eggs aud chickens than it will
be to raise them ourselves The
grain and other stuff that the hens
eat in the course of the year
would pay twice over for all the
eggs and chickens we use. I've
always thought SO, and said so.
too, but you've always been so
set about keepin' hens, and stuck
to it that they paid their way,
that | didn't want to set up that
you shouldn't keep Them and
Mr.. Perkins looked as If he con-
sidered himself model husband
because he allowed his wife to
keep flock of hens.
1--WE always stuck to it that
hens paid their way, and more too,
because | knew they did. You've
no idea-men folks never have
how many eggs it takes to do the
cooking for a family like ours,
especially when the man is as
fond of custard pies as you are.
Why, Dan'l Perkins, it takes three
eggs to make decent custard pie,
and / make four or five custard
pies every week, and then you
amt satisfied; yes, l make good
fifty dozen eggs up into custard
pies every year, and if you had to
buy all those eggs, they would
cost seven or eight dollars at the
least" Il suppose So" said Mr..
Perkins; "but those thirty hens
eat up three or four times seven
or eight dollars worth of grain in
ayear." "Idon't care if they do, !"
answered Mrs. Perkins. 1--WE
use eggs in other things besides
custard pies, and when we have
fried or boiled eggs you know it
takes dozen for meal for the
SIX of us. | don't think I'm
much out of the way when l say
we use a hundred dozen eggs in
this house every year. And be-
sides all we use we have a good
many to sell. l reckon you'd find
bigger store bills to pay than you
do now, if we diden't turn in SO
many eggs. And you don't seem
to take into account all the chick
ems we eat"
81 own the chickens are
good eatln', and come handy
when we want fresh meat in hot
weather; but it costs all they're
worth to raise them. And YOU
don't take into account all the
damage the hens DO in the garden
and other places, Last year after
| sowed my oats they were on the
field all the time until after the
oats were up six inches high, and
they scratched up SO much of the
seed that there wasn't half a crop
on the upper end of the field.
Then after the oats began to get
ripe those pesky hens were in the
field pulling them down all the
time. | tell you Betsey, a ten
dollar bill wouldn't have paid for
damage the hens did to that oat
field. But faint any use to try
to convince a woman that hens |
amt profitable. If thirty hens
ate up forty dollars worth of grain
every year, and destroyed as much
more. you'd stick to it, of course
that they paid their way and some
over"
But" said Mrs. PerkinS ool,nI,,